MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C.— The Congressional Medal of Honor Society regretfully announces that Ralph Puckett, Jr., the last living Korean war Medal of Honor recipient, passed away on April 8, 2024, in Columbus, Georgia, at the age of 97.   

President Joseph Biden, Jr., presented Puckett with the Medal of Honor at the White House in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 2021, for his actions during the Battle of Unsan in North Korea.    

During the period of Nov. 25 to Nov. 26, 1950, then 1st Lt. Ralph Puckett Jr. led his Rangers company in an attack on Hill 205 in North Korea exposing himself to deadly enemy fire on multiple occasions. He intentionally ran across an open area three times to draw enemy fire, thereby allowing the Rangers to locate and destroy the enemy positions and to seize the hill while showing extraordinary leadership as he inspired and motivated the Rangers. As the battle over Hill 205 waged on, the Rangers were outnumbered 10 to 1. 

During the enemy’s first attack of six, Puckett was wounded by grenade fragments, but he refused evacuation and continually directed artillery support that decimated attacking enemy formations and repeatedly abandoned positions of relative safety to make his way from foxhole to foxhole to check the company’s perimeter and distribute ammunition amongst the Rangers. During the sixth attack, Puckett sustained grievous injuries from mortar rounds and commanded his company to leave him behind to evacuate, however, the Rangers refused the order and retrieved their commander from his foxhole while still under fire. 

Speaking about receiving the Medal of Honor 71 years after the Battle of Unsan, Puckett said, “I was surprised at that. But I mainly thought there’s about 50 Rangers in the past that’ve really done an outstanding job and taken themselves from noncombat basic armed soldiers into being some of the best our country has ever produced. But I certainly feel that my Rangers deserved recognition and that kind of award for what they had done. They did the work. They did the fighting. Two of them carried me off the battlefield. They’re the ones who should get the credit.” 

Puckett was born in Tifton, Georgia, Dec. 8, 1926. He enlisted at age 17 in the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps. A few years later he was discharged so that he could attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1949. He then went to Japan to prepare for deploying to fight in the Korean War. Before he arrived in Korea, he was asked to command a newly activated Rangers company. The Rangers had not been active since World War II.  

Puckett was also a veteran of the Vietnam War. He retired as a colonel following a 22-year career. The Medal of Honor was an upgrade from his first of two Distinguished Service Crosses. He also was awarded two Silver Stars in Vietnam and earned five Purple Hearts across the two wars, as well as two Bronze Stars with “V” device for valor.  

He has remained an important figure among U.S. Army Rangers, and he served as an “honorary colonel” for the 75th Ranger Regiment and regularly met with Rangers at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

He is survived by numerous family members. Burial arrangements are pending.  

There are now 62 living Medal of Honor Recipients today.   

About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society  

About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society: The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor (the United States’ highest award for military valor in action) and its Recipients, inspiring Americans to live the values the Medal represents, and supporting Recipients as they connect with communities across America. Chartered by Congress in 1958, the Society’s membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. 

The Society carries out its mission through outreach, education, and preservation programs, including the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, Citizen Honors Awards, and The Medal of Honor Museum. As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, The Medal of Honor Museum, which is co-located with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s headquarters on board the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.    The Society’s programs and operations are fully funded by generous donors.  Learn more about the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s initiatives at cmohs.org.